Free Gift, not earned or deserved…

But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:5–11)

Some who claimed faith in Jesus Christ also thought that no one could be saved unless they were keeping the OT law. This idea easily creeps into the mind of those filled with pride along with the idea that “I have to do something” to be saved. This is in direct conflict with the gospel that says otherwise. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Circumcision was a physical reminder of the OT covenant made to Abraham and his descendants. If it was important to salvation, then why was it necessary for men only? God did not leave out 50% of the population when He provided salvation by faith.

This NT situation concerned believing Jews who were offended. They were told to not consume blood before the Law of Moses was given, because life is in the blood (think of the blood of Christ shed to redeem us) and this law about blood was far more significant than circumcision being a symbol of being saved. With this in mind, the apostles had to make a decision.

Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. (Acts 15:14–20)

Why then did these restrictions be given to the Gentile believers? In those days, these sins were hugely offensive to the Jews. The apostles would rather them say, “If you do these things, how then can you be saved?” Then, “You need to be circumcised like us before you can be saved.” Salvation is about a Holy Spirit changed life, not about  a symbol like circumcision.

Today, some think that to be a Christian, you must go to church, or give money, etc. but non-Christians attend church too. That means nothing unless the Holy Spirit has changed their life and prompted new behavior. Jesus illustrated these attitudes:

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:10–14)

No one is ever saved by law-keeping, mainly because if we break one, we break all. We are saved by faith, not our own doing — and when salvation happens, the doing changes, not by my prideful self-effort, but by the Holy Spirit who changes my heart.

Jesus, humility is only uncomfortable if I want to have control over my life rather than letting You have Your way. I cannot be what You want me to be without You doing the work in my heart that makes sin give way to living in humility. Such a wonder that You grant salvation freely and even the faith to believe is by Your grace. I could not trust You at all without You granting me the faith to do so. Such a wonder.

 

Do not harden your hearts!

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy. Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. (2 Chronicles 36:11–21)

I am beginning to feel like a prophet. It seems easy yet if true, if I broadcast my thoughts, most people would turn away. No one wants to hear anything that says, “Smarten up or face the consequences.”

Jesus died to give me new life, His life. He changed the world, but He had to be crucified to do it. Christian martyrs at formal count now average just over a dozen a day. It could be higher, and it could happen here as faith in Christ is increasingly mocked.

What is worse than being persecuted for my faith? How about falling into the hands of Almighty God for not living my faith? While He is merciful and gracious, He gave me this new life that I ought to live it. Christians are not to assume that grace means we can do whatever we want. God says to us:

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25–29)

At the same time, Jesus is also for me, willing to enable me to obey Him, even though it costs me time, money, and other sacrifices. If I refuse I will not lose my salvation, but eternal rewards. If I obey, I could be persecuted, even suffer death, but Christians cannot die — we only change our address!

Jesus, life here is unpredictable; however, the OT reveals what can be lost if I disobey You and the NT shows what is mine because You died for me. My obedience can be a powerful tool in Your hands. Even if it isn’t, enable me to willingly do what You say and deeply desire that You are honored and obeyed by others.

A life given for our life...

In Canada, today is Remembrance Day. In the USA, it is called Veteran’s Day. Either way, this day we are to honor those who gave their lives that we might live in freedom from oppressive entities that tried to rule over us.

This day bears a vivid resemblance to what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us when He went to war against sin and Satan, dying on the cross that we might be free from sin that otherwise rules our lives. The Bible lists some of those extreme sins, such as murder, hatred, and so on, but it also spells out the root of all of them:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Doing my own thing is a sin that is expressed in so many ways, some extreme and some easily hidden, yet nevertheless my way rather than the way of the Lord.

As I wear a poppy and remember the men and women who gave their lives for our physical freedom, I also think about Jesus who gave His life for my spiritual freedom so I could be no longer a slave to sin but a child of God, able to truly have a choice in what I do. While an unforgiven sinner, my way was the only way, my only choice, but now, in Christ, I can choose to obey Him and enjoy freedom. It is just as He said to those who claimed to believe in Him:

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31–36)

This isn’t about freedom to do as I please. It is the freedom from having no another choice than going my own way — which is sin!

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:1–7)

The word ‘death’ has several meanings, yet most of them are about separation… separation of the spirit from the body as in physical death, or separation of the soul from God as in spiritual death, or separation from sin to serve Christ as in being dead to sin and alive to God in the new life that Jesus gives. This is a death most welcome because it set me free from the only choice of running my own life, to the two choices: walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit. The NT describes this well. See Romans 6:8-18 and also:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery… But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:1; 16–18)

PRAY: Jesus, the wonder of being able to walk in the Spirit certainly fills life with continual God-surprises. Not only do unexpected blessings happen to me, but I say and do things that are not premeditated and surprise me and bring blessings and smiles to others. Your freedom is utterly amazing and most certainly the way to live. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) And the red poppy reminds me also of Your great sacrifice.

Grace is free — for us . . .

 

“In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood.” (Ephesians 1:7)

My husband reminded me this morning that most people assume that giving their lives totally to Christ means they will never have any fun. He added, “That is such a lie.” I checked the Word of God; it  speaks of joy and peace hundreds of times. I must admit that giving up control to another is difficult whether it is government leaders, police, doctors and in relationships of all kinds including marriage. Most resistance to submission boils down to a lack of trust as well as ‘I’ll do it myself.’

Most people categorize sin putting personal pride and stubbornness near the bottom of the list or calling it “it’s just the way I am.” Otherwise, sin is not a grave issue in a culture flaunts and peddles those sins we think are worse than our own . . . even if we are entertained by some of it through television, movies, music, or looking down our noses at others who do things and thinking, “I would never do that.”

When I flirt with sin, I feel the reaction of God in my spirit. He reminds me of the price He paid to redeem me, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18–19) While focusing on a violent physical death can be a vile thing, turning my mind to what Jesus experienced on the cross to redeem me is a strong reminder of how serious sin is to God. He said, “ . . . without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22).

When I read the OT passages about lambs put to death so people could experience forgiveness as they waited for the promised Messiah, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” comes to mind. I also think of the times I’ve held a little lamb in my arms and felt its tenderness and vulnerability. What could be more vile than killing a helpless and sinless Lamb, and yet God ordained it — for us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

This great gift demonstrates God’s attitude toward sin but also His great love for sinners. I could not redeem myself from falling short of His glory, but He could do it and did do it. Christ’s sacrifice was perfect, complete, and once for all. Nothing more is needed other than my response. I am to offer Him the sacrifice of praise and offer myself to Him. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1) His redeeming grace is free to sinners such as I, but its cost to God is without measure.

Lord, a short life of doing my own thing without You and disguising that as “fun” does not compare with all that You have done for me. Your death was utterly unselfish, utterly for every person. Your grace is offered freely. Your arms are open even to those who spit in Your face. No one and nothing else promises me eternal life but You. Nothing can compare to the deep joy of knowing You, being in Your presence, hearing Your voice. You guard my heart. You keep me aware of temptation and Your power to overcome it with its deception. When I do falter, you remind me: “If I confess my sins, You are faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, personalized) and you keep me close to the cross by Your amazing grace.

READ: John 3, Ephesians 1-3, Hebrews 10:8-18,